Differences between Hindustani and Carnatic Tala system

[draupadi]

Can somebody please explain to me differences between hindustani and Carnatic talas? I am familiar with Talas of Carnatic music but know nothing about hindustani. I'm preparing for exam and one of the topics is difference between hindustani and carnatic tala system with reference to:
shollu; jaati bheda; hasta kriya; gati bheda, tirmaanam, griha (ateeta, anagata). I would be very grateful for help.

[sridharrajagopal]

Hi Draupadi ,

I too, am interested in the differences between the two systems. Would love to hear what you have found out, as well as comments from other members on the same! Wikipedia has some information, though quite sparse - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tala_(music)

Regards,
Sridhar

[vasanthakokilam]

Recollecting vaguely from what Akellaji had told us in a different context, there is a practical difference ( in addition to all the systemic differences, nomenclature etc. which a more serious and theoretically minded rasika would want to know about )

The tabla artist plays to the anga architecture/structure of the chosen thala. It looks like the artist can take clues from the tabla playing sounds as to where they are in the thala cycle ( at least at a first level of approximation ). In CM, I do not think that is true. The mridangam player is not obligated to provide different and consistent sounds for each anga boundary ( like Laghu, drutham etc. ).

I will let Akellaji confirm and elaborate further.

[Nick H]

Simply: the tabla player keeps talam for the main artist. The mridangam player does not, and is free to play for the song rather than being strictly bound to the rhythm.

Whilst this is the elementary difference in tabla play and mridangam play, it refers to what they play, rather than the tala structure itself. draupadi, as you have some familiarity with the Carnatic system, you can get the idea of how this is expressed by the tabla from our tekka lessons.

That's as far as I can help ...because my current consumption of HM is so little that I do not even remember the names of the HM taals :$

[msakella]

Dear brother-member, vasanthakokilam, Yes, dear. There is vast difference between the two systems of Tala of Hindusthani and Carnatic.

In Hindusthani the total number of units of their Tala are indicated in terms of ‘bhols’ which are verbally uttered and executed with ‘Taali and Khaali’ Taali being the sounded and Khali with the un- sounded. For example the Tala of six-units is called ‘Dadra’ consisting of six bhols, dha-dhi-na-dha-ti-na. Among them while dha is of the sounded of taali ti is of the un-sounded of khaali.

In Carnatic the corresponding Tala consisting of six-units is called ‘Roopaka’ carrying one Druta consisting of two-units, one sounded act of beat followed by another un-sounded act of waving-hand and another Lahu pertaining to Chaturashra-jaati consisting of four-units, one sounded act of beat followed by three-un-sounded-finger-counts arriving at a grand-total of six-units.

Even though the Hindusthani musicians claim that Sangita Ratnakara is their ancient treatise the Tala-chapter does not tally with their Talas at all. amsharma

[Shivadasan]

In Hindustani Music there are two distinct schools of rhythmic instrumental exposition. One is the older and traditional viz., the Pakhwaj (Mridangam) tradition and the Tabla tradition. The Tabla tradition is what the Carnatic fans are familiar with. This system was invented during the Moghul rein and it is possibly based more on the Persian and Irani traditions than the Indian tradition. This instrument was mostly used for maintaining the tala (Tekha) for the main artist. In its tradition no manodharma was used except for minor embellishments. In case the main artist want to involve the tablist for a duel then he would go in for ‘Ladanth’ where the tabla would give a suitable reply for every thihayi. If given space for showing his talent the tablist would play traditional ‘Bandihes’. This system has changed in the previous generation and the concept of manodharma has been introduced.

Each tala has a set of predetermined rhythmic phrases. The Pakhwaj talas and phrases differ from that of the Tabla . The tabla phrases can be better appreciated during the tabla solo recitals. The bandishes played on the tabla are more symmetry based. The main Bandishes are called ‘Kaida’ .They have the sections ‘Thali’ and ‘Khali’. The Thali section is indicated by a clap of the hand and the Khali section is indicated by a wave of the hand. While playing the Thali section the bayan or the left is used and in the Khali portion the same bols are played but without the Bayan.
The pakhwaj assumes that the main artist has full control over the laya and plays interesting laya patterns.

[msakella]

Dear brother-member, shivadasan, I know very little of Hindusthani but elaborated a little when our brother asked me. Your elaboration is very nice and in detail and I thank you for the same. amsharma

[Nick H]

Shivadasan, thank you... you have greatly enhanced my understanding in just a few, easily understood words.

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks Shivadasan.

Are there common things, both in terminology and actual techniques, between Mridangam and Pakhwaj?
( I assume Pakhwaj is typically used in Dhrupad )

[Shivadasan]

I am grateful for the comments from members stating that the post was useful. This has encouraged me to give some more information so that the members would be able to understand the great art of Table playing.
I hope members would not mind my going into greater details of tabla art that might smack of tutorial.
The starting Matra of a tala is called the sum. The Khali is shown underlined in the following tekhas. The Khali is not necessarily shown in the matra in which it starts but in the next matra. The purpose is to indicate to the main artist that the Khali portion has started.

Teen Taal 16 Matras Dha Dhin Dhin Dha Dha Dhin Dhin Dha Dha Thin Thin Ta Tha Dhin Dhin Dha
Dadra 6 Matras Dha Dhi Na Dha Ti Na
Jap Tal 10 Matras Dhi Na Dhi Dhi Na Ti Na Dhi Dhi Na
When you go to the Kaidas it is like this

The basic Kaida used in Teen Tal is,
DhaDha TheTe DhaDha TuNa
ThaTha TheTe DhaDha DhinNa

First the Tekha is played a few rounds. Then the practice exercises called Paltas follow.

They go this way.

DhaDha TheTe DhaDha TheTe DhaDha TheTe DhaDha Tuna ----------line 1
ThaTha TheTe ThaTha TheTe DhaDha TheTe DhaDha Dhina ----------line2
In expanded paltas the second half of both lines are maintained and varieties are added in first half. An example of practice for Thete fingering

DhaDha TheTe TheTe TheTe DhaDha TheTe DhaDha Tuna ----------line 1
ThaTha TheTe TheTe TheTe DhaDha TheTe DhaDha Dhina ----------line2

The tablist produces different variations of the theme ( Dha, Thete, tun, Dhin & Na) but maintaining the display of the Khali and Sam. The tablist ensures that the bols in bold ( line 1 & line 2) are always maintained in their places. Line 1 at the end of the first part and line 2 at the end of the tala round. The variations prescribed are so voluminous that it unsuitable for small explanation like this.

The tihayis are a part & parcel of the tabla . They always end with a Dha. One exception is be-dumdar tihayis where the dha is not played. The tihayis end in the sum, i.e., the first matra of the next avartham and not in last matra of the avartham.

The tabla bols for Kathak dance are filled with intricate layakari. Not every tablist can play for Kathak. They have plenty of long bandishes and the tablist needs to know most of them. They also practice a special type of layakari. In teental of 16 beats they recite numbers from 1 to 16 at equal intervals. For instance they will say 1 to 15 and come at the sum at the end of the 16th matra. I remember to have seen this demonstration from Birju Maharaj in the Music Acdemy in the 1950s. Later I had seen this in North India.

Even though the bandishes and tekha remain the same throughout Hindustani Music world, the sounds will vary from person to person. This is because there are several gharanas in Tabla and each one has its own way of fingering. The Banaras Gharana follows the Pakhwaj sounds and so the fingering also has adopted many Pakhwaj fingering. The ‘tun’ in Banaras gharana is played with full palm and would sound like Dheem of Mridangam and in the Delhi Gharana it is hit with single finger. The ‘Dhir Dhir’ in Banaras gaharana is played with full palm on the tabla. Whereas in other gharanas it plyed with fingers in the shyahi like thita thita. The Delhi Gharana is known for its expertise in playing the tabla with only first and second fingers of the right hand. The Azrana gharana has specialised in the bols of the left bayan. The Farrukkabad and Agra Gharana the phrase ‘trik’ is used in many places in place of tirakta. Now a days the great charm of listening to pure gharana baji is lost because all gharanas have got mixed.

It appears that Pakhwaj and Mridangam have a lot of similarities. Possibly Mridangam is a descendent of the Pakhwaj. The words like ‘tekha’ ‘paran’ (there may be many more such words) are from the Pakwaj lineage. Pakhwaj uses ‘atta’ of wheat flour on the left. It is applied on the entire skin and tuned to adhar shadja. Because of this Phakhwaj sound is always majestic. In Dhrupads the gamakas are always majestic keeping up with the serious themes the Dhrupads portray. The karvais on the bayan give rise to romantic and other emotions and are not suitable for Dhrupads. There are Bandishes in Banaras Gharana which portray Gambhira Bhava and tablists use open strike on the bayan without giving any karvai.

[mahavishnu]

Very informative. Thank you Sri Shivadasan.

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks Shivadasan. I have saved this away for a leisurely re-reading later on.

BTW, I do not think we learned about your background with respect to Indian music before. We talked during the Rasikas meet in 2010, but it was unfortunately quite brief given all the things that were going on. You are quite knowledgeable on many matters related to all the topics we discuss here and you express them well in an understandable manner. Thanks.

[Tama Rasa]

I've performed both and studied with Ustad Amir Khan in the North and KVN among others in the South.
The comments on tala so far are fine. Khansahab was learned about tala and you may know he used primarily an extremely slow Jhumra (14 beats) for raga development. There's nothing like this in the South although during nagaswaram alapana I've found the 'comments' by the tala cymbals remotely similar.

It's joked that a tabla player can leave and spit out his pan juice between beats of the vilambit Jhumra. In fact the only person keeping track of rhythm during it is the tabla player. A good tabla player will play the last te ri ki ta of this symmetrical tala loudly to tell the singer sama is coming! So the tala is a rhythmic backdrop for bistar or raga development, which is conducted very much as as there were no rhythm at all.